Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul.”
NL Daily Devotion for Monday, May 3, 2021
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
I adore Lydia. She’s often cited as the first European Christian convert. A woman. A strong, independent business owner with her own household. We don’t know much about her. Is she young? Old? Widowed? Divorced? Never married? Married and we just don’t hear anything about her husband? The details don’t seem to be what’s important. What’s important is that she was already a “worshipper of God,” i.e. following the Jewish faith, and when she heard what Paul had to say about Jesus, she knew it was true, and was quickly baptized.
I want to be a Lydia. Sure, I’m a strong, independent, business-owning, single woman already. But those details about me aren’t important. What’s important is that I want God to open my heart to listen eagerly for God’s call in my life.
How am I like Lydia?
![1 Kings 17:1-16 [17-24], God’s Care for the Widow](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b39b61ab48de92d991a40a/bf37035e-33d5-439f-a0d6-a68b02d0f1bc/24-11-03.jpg)
